The Heart
by ari2266
Summary: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH! Read and Review Plz! Quite short, a small romantic drabble about the princess and the guard...


Cold as hell.

Such a contradictory phrase. Hell, in all its fiery glory, is indeed hot, is it not? And yet to find someone who encompasses this most obvious juxta pose would be to find either a contradiction to nature... or a god.

Green eyes don't stare. They are the line between the object and its destination. A door. That was the destination – and beyond it, something the green eyes detested, rejected and hated. Yet... were in every meaning of the word... envious of. Green eyes becoming greener still upon hearing that tiny sound in the distance, beyond that door.

Tha... THUMP.

That little heart. So easily crushed, broken, stolen, given... a weakness if ever there was one. So why did he even care? He didn't of course. An espada such as himself cares nothing for such an exploitable weakness. Weakness was trash.

And the Cuarta Espada did NOT associate himself with trash.

Calling out in his customary style of, "I'm coming in", the pale skinned guardian placed his hand on the doorknob. God he hated this – coming to see this frail, weak human every day, to see her acting like a child, as though her petty retaliations would actually affect him. He thinned his lips and pushed on the door.

She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him, her hands clasped and hanging in front of her, her head bowed. Ulquiorra paused, considering this new act of deference, rather than defiance. Was the girl possibly bowing before him? It was expected from most other residents of Hueco Mundo, but this girl was not really a resident…

"I am awaiting your orders." She whispered softly, her voice carrying across the still air to reach his ears. Her face was drawn and her skin pale. Had she not been eating again? She would NOT disobey his… Aizen-sama's… orders. It was unacceptable.

"Have you been eating woman? Your health appears poor. You are pale, and seem malnourished."

Orihime opened her eyes and glared up at him in anger, "That's the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?" She hissed. Clapping her hands to her mouth, she bowed her head again, and closed her eyes in contriteness.

Ulquiorra was amused, had she though to offend him? His pale skin was a mark of his power; he had the power beyond death that she would surely lack, the power of destruction, despair and death that was her opposite in every way. He was still where she was hyperactive. He was the shadow in the darkness to her sun. He would not react to something so beneath his standing. It was unthinkable.

But still… something about her… about the way she WAS his opposite in every way… it spoke to him. Spoke to his dark, aggressive nature in a way nothing had before. Calming it, yet allowing it to thrive. He still felt in total control, yet he knew that some part of him was becoming drawn to this strange human woman. A part he didn't want to acknowledge.

"I see." He replied eventually, his calm face betraying none of his thoughts. "You will eat woman, whether you want to or not. I will not allow you to disobey." There – that would put her back in her place.

Orihime's hands clenched at her sides, and she trembled in anger. What was she going to do now? He thought. It's not as though she would try to actually strike him – not again. He would break a wrist if he had to. He took a step closer to her as though daring her to strike him. She tilled as his shadow fell over her. She lifted her chin, opening her bright, liquid eyes to meet his piercing emerald gaze.

Ulquiorra took a mental step back, though his feet refused to move. This woman was staring at him with no sense of propriety, so why did he feel HE had to take a step back?

Tha...THUMP…tha...THUMP...

That heart… he could almost see it beating through her eyes. He leant closer, trying to find if he could see it beyond her irises – if that was where the elusive 'heart' lay. The thing that gave rise to those petty emotions human had. Was it in her eyes? Lifting cold hands, he grasped the sides of her face, and leant closer, eyes searching, ignoring her gasp, concentrating more on the quickened pace of her heart. Why did it speed up? Was he that close to finding it? Was it afraid that he would discover its hiding place? He knew it! It must be in her eyes!

Soft, warm breathe brushed against his lips, and he realised just how close he had pulled the girl towards him. His gaze wavered away from her eyes, and travelled down her flushed face to her lips. They were parted slightly, and he could see the glitter of her tongue hidden behind them. He felt a strange and unfamiliar urge to experiment on those lips... that tongue.

Slowly, almost as though he had not moved at all, the Cuarta Espada drew her closer, he lowered his chin, a millimetre at a time, highly interested as to how her heartbeat began to thunder as its pace increased. He saw her eyes slowly close, and her face flush an ever deeper shade of pink. How curious- even though her eyes were closed her heart continued to beat loudly – was it possible he was wrong as to its location? Perhaps… it was elsewhere?

Cold, firm lips pressed softly to the hers, and he felt the sharp intake of breath as she reacted to his temperature. He felt her warm, sweet breathe fill his mouth as she hesitantly returned his kiss. She felt soft… yet strong. Her skin was burning, yet it trembled in fear. Was she angry, or intimidated? How many emotions could this strange female feel at the same time? How was it even possible? Was it because of her elusive 'heart'?

He came to the conclusion that each time he became closer to her, the reaction from her emotions became stronger, therefore, to locate her 'heart', he would need to experiment further. Flicking his tongue, he gently licked her bottom lip, eliciting a small cry from her. S she opened her mouth, he quickly slipped in, his slow, calm movements playing havoc on her virgin mouth. Her heartbeat was now a snare drum, rolling fitfully – good – he was close.

Her hands were clasped together and pressed between them, he felt them clench with each push of his icy tongue, and wondered again how such a small thing could make her react so vividly. Pulling back, he released her captive mouth, and still holding her face, gazed upon her flushed complexion. There… there it was – the 'heart' – so close to the surface he could almost taste it. The thing to bring it out was something so small and so simple… yet… so strange to him. How had that Kurosaki fool not have seen this? If he had, perhaps the girl might not have left with him so willingly. Yet here she was, gasping in his hands like a child, her heart beating wildly and her power fairly glowing in his sight from the intensity of her emotions.

How fragile… how strong.

He let go of her face and stepped back, confusion in his mind at the contradiction she represented to him. How was it possible that she could be two things at once? Was there something he was missing? He regained his composure and turned, heading swiftly for the door. The Cuarta espada was not about to be confused by a mere human girl – no matter how confusing she seemed. He was an Arrancar. He was a genius. He had no heart, and no soul. He was a perfect model of an Espada – and example to all of the power that was hidden within Hueco Mundo. He was a god in his own right. He was as cold as hell.

He was Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Tha… THUMP…


End file.
